Let Me Live My Life

How Many Dates Until Being Exclusive?

When it comes to dating, there seems to be the old school vs. the new school. One thought process is more traditional. It reminds me of what my grandfather would tell me if I was asking him for him relationship advice. The other one sounds more like what my friends and I would tell each other.

Traditional thought process: you are on a date because you are interested in your relationship going somewhere. Therefore, you should be exclusive from the beginning. Basically, dating is part of the relationship. If you are not interested enough to continue only seeing this one person, they most likely aren’t the right one. You should move on.

The second thought process is more modern. Since we have every dating app in the world available to us 24/7, it makes it easy to meet new people. Understandably, this causes people to leave their options open. You can date a few people at the same time until you find the one you want to get serious with. At this point, it becomes exclusive.

So which one is right? Neither necessarily. There isn’t a right or wrong approach. It’s about what you feel.

You know if you want to be exclusive with somebody regardless of what advice you receive. If you find yourself wanting to be serious with one person, exclusivity could be for you. If you find yourself not fully satisfied, maybe you should keep your options open for now.

If you’re worried the other person thinks it’s too soon, then have a conversation. Let them tell you what they think. You need open communication anyways if you’re even considering being exclusive…so why not start now?